Dubai underwater: Rain floods UAE, kills 70-year-old man
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The UAE is seeing unprecedented heavy rainfall that flooded Dubai and halted all transportation operations.
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Vehicles sit abandoned in floodwater covering a major road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP)
The United Arab Emirates witnessed on Tuesday the harshest thunderstorm in its records as Dubai's airport and highways were completely flooded, blocking auto and civilian mobility.
The storm hit the country on Monday night, accumulating around 0.79 inches of rain. The weather intensified soon after, flooding the "already overwhelmed" cities with 5.59 inches of rain, the first phenomenon of its kind since Dubai began documenting its weather fluctuations.
In Fujairah, an emirate on the eastern coast, 5.7 inches of rainfall flooded the roads, a record for the country.
The UAE's record before Tuesday stood at 3.73 inches of rain, prompting the state to declare Tuesday's weather situation a "historic event".
As a result, the Dubai International Airport was forced to halt incoming flights as roads leading to and out of the airport were not viable for transportation. An anonymous couple spoke to the Associated Press and described the "absolute carnage" at the airport.
They stated that taxis were out of order, which forced people to remain and sleep at the airport or in metro stations. They also shared that they managed to get a taxi before it had to halt mobility due to the floods.
Current situation of Dubai Airport pic.twitter.com/rh8wCxEKkj
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As flights were affected and land transportation was paused, commuting was rendered limited, prompting airport authorities to state that recovery would take time.
Moreover, authorities had to instate a school shutdown, as well as a stay-home advisory. When trucks pumped water into the sewers to open roads back up, the flood poured into civilian infrastructure as well, forcing families out of their homes.
AP reported that no governmental toll information has been provided thus far, but reports stated that families were forced to sleep in their cars. However, a few were swept away, killing a 70-year-old man who had spent the night in his car.
Rainfall is an uncommon occurrence in the UAE. Due to the infrequency of rain, many roads and other areas lack proper drainage systems, leading to instances of flooding.
Additionally, rain was reported in Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. In Oman, heavy rains resulted in at least 18 fatalities in recent days, as stated by the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management on Tuesday. Among the victims were approximately 10 schoolchildren who were swept away in a vehicle along with an adult.
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